RCS - Frontier IP Group - Alusid in collaboration with Imerys

Frontier IPAnnouncement

30/01/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 1646O  Frontier IP Group plc  30 January 2023

Reach - a non-regulatory announcement

AIM: FIPP

30 January 2023

 

Frontier IP Group Plc

("Frontier IP" or the "Group")

 

 

Portfolio news - Alusid extends product range in collaboration with global
speciality minerals group Imerys

 

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, notes the
following announcement from portfolio company Alusid (the "Company") that it
has successfully collaborated with Imerys, a world leader in specialty
minerals to make floor tiles.

 

The collaboration started after Alusid was named as one of two winners in the
Imerys Start-Up Innovation Factory competition launched last year, from
sixty-five companies from around the world selected to participate. The aim of
the competition's first edition was to enable Imerys to research potential
partners to collaborate on innovation to meet circular economy challenges.

 

Over the past few months, Alusid and Imerys have run two parallel trials to
make products using Imerys by-products: the floor tiles, and another to make
larger items such as coffee tables and worktops. Both were successful, and the
floor tiles are now attracting commercial interest, including from a leading
retailer. Frontier IP holds a 38.9 per cent equity stake in the Company.

 

Imerys generated €4.4 billion in revenues during 2021 and employs 16,300
people.

 

 

Frontier IP Chief Executive Neil Crabb said: "We're delighted with Alusid's
success in, first, being one of only two winners from a global competition
organised by a multinational group, and second, in developing a wholly new
product from Imerys' by-products. Success provides further validation of the
Company's unique technology to recycle industrial waste into premium-quality
tiles and surfaces."

 

Alusid statement follows:

Alusid extends product range in collaboration with global speciality minerals
group Imerys

 

Alusid has successfully produced high-quality, hard-wearing floor tiles made
from 100 per cent recycled waste after being named as one of the
winners in the Start-Up Innovation Factory competition launched by Imerys, a
world leader in minerals-based specialty solutions.

 

The aim of the first edition of the competition, launched last year, was to
enable Imerys to research potential partners to collaborate on innovation to
meet circular economy challenges on technical themes, such as recovering and
recycling construction material waste. Sixty-five start-ups from around the
world were selected to participate.

 

Alusid has been trialling tile manufacture using six Imerys by-products over
the past few months as a continuation of the competition. An Imerys team, led
by Cédric Poilly, Customer Application Engineer for Ceramics EMEA, provided
support     . Two parallel projects were run: one making the floor tiles
and the other larger items, such as coffee tables and worktops. Both proved
successful, and the next step is to scale up the technology for industrial
production.

 

Made from 100 per cent recycled waste, 90 per cent of which came from Imerys,
the tiles use three by-products in the recipe, with scope to include
additional materials directly produced by Imerys or from its customers.

 

The tiles have the same performance as those made from non-recycled materials,
and have already attracted interest from potential customers, including a
leading retail brand.

 

Benefits include the use and recycling of surplus raw materials and
by-products that would normally go to waste. Alusid's processes consume less
gas to manufacture than conventional tiles with energy usage potentially cut
by more than 35 per cent because of lower firing temperatures and the use of
dry powder granulation rather than spray drying. Water use is also reduced by
up to 75 per cent.

 

Alasdair Bremner, Alusid's CEO said: "Working with Imerys on this project has
expanded our available sources of recycled material and allowed us to create a
product missing from our range, a hard-wearing, high-quality floor tile.
Imerys extensive knowledge and their scale means they have the capacity to
help us precise our business model and ultimately reduce the environmental
impact of tile production. In the initial pilot trial, we had to deal with
some warping and adapting with firing these unconventional materials. However,
the results are promising enough for us to envision industrial trials. Our aim
is to achieve porcelain stoneware classification on water absorption and
breaking strength, making our tiles as good as tiles made from non-recycled
materials."

 

Frederic Jouffret, Imerys Vice-President, Performance Minerals Science &
Technology, said: "Working with start-ups through this challenge was very
educational and promising for Imerys. The challenge itself has created a more
structured approach for open innovation in the future."

 

 

Alusid statement ends

 

ENQUIRIES

 

 

 Frontier IP Group Plc                                                  T: 020 7332 2338
 Neil Crabb, Chief Executive                                            neil@frontierip.co.uk

 Andrew Johnson, Communications & Investor Relations                    M: 07464 546 025

 Company website: www.frontierip.co.uk (http://www.frontierip.co.uk/)
 Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser)                            T: 0203 328 5656

 Nick Athanas / George Payne

 

ABOUT IMERYS:

The world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, with
€4.4 billion revenue and 16,300 employees in 2021, Imerys delivers high
value-added, functional solutions to diversified set of industrial sectors,
from processing industries to consumer goods. The Group draws on its knowledge
of applications, technological expertise and its material science know-how to
deliver solutions based on beneficiation of its mineral resources, synthetic
minerals and formulations. These contribute essential properties to customers'
products and performance, including refractoriness, hardness, conductivity,
opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption and repellency.
Imerys is determined to develop responsibly, in particular by fostering the
emergence of environmentally friendly products and processes.

 

ABOUT ALUSID

Alusid creates beautiful, premium-quality tiles and architectural surfaces The
company creates beautiful, premium quality tiles and architectural surfaces by
recycling industrial waste ceramics, glass and other materials much of which
would otherwise end in landfill. Tiles are made from a minimum of 95 per cent
recycled content and usually contain more.

 

The company's Sequel ranges are distributed exclusively by Parkside
Architectural Tiles, the commercial arm of Topps Tiles. Sequel Vibe was named
Wall Tile of The Year in The Tile Association's prestigious in 2020.

 

Alusid also makes its own products under the brand name SilicaStone
distributed in the UK by Panaz. Customers include COS, part of H&M,
Christian Dior, Nando's, Harrods, Selfridges, Amazon UK and Pret-a-Manger.

 

ABOUT FRONTIER IP

Frontier IP unites science and commerce by identifying strong intellectual
property and accelerating its development through a range of commercialisation
services. A critical part of the Group's work is involving relevant industry
partners at an early stage of development to ensure technology meets real
world demands and needs.

The Group looks to build and grow a portfolio of equity stakes and licence
income by taking an active involvement in spin-out companies, including
support for fund raising and collaboration with relevant industry partners at
an early stage of development.

 

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